County research venues
County Research Venues
Also see associated page National research venues
County venues
A list of venues within each County:
For each CRO the website is listed on the relevant county page within The British Isles section.
Please refer to this for specific directions and opening times
Visting a Records Office or Research Venue
Most research venues require you to have a CARN card ( or reader ticket). CARN is an abbreciation for County Archive Research Network
To obtain a ticket, bring a proof of your identity, including name, current address and signature (e.g. Driving licence or household utility bill and cheque guarantee card) so staff can issue you with your free reader’s ticket.
Remember that UK passports alone are not sufficient as they do not provide proof of address. All ticket holders are required to keep to the searchroom rules at all times. These rules are to make your stay enjoyable and to ensure that the historic material in the Record Office survives for future generations. The record office reserves the right to suspend or refuse to issue a reader’s ticket. A full list of searchroom rules is displayed in each record office in reception, and in the searchroom.
Once you have a CARN card (or reader ticket as they are sometimes called ) they are valid at most research venues. Different venues have different systems- some collect your card and return it to you when you leave the centre, others require you to keep it about your person whilst in the centre. Bear in mind that all people using the research centre must have a card. (Some venues will allow people to sit in reception and wait for you but not all)
Take notes with you:
Takes notes with you on Paper, rather than in a book or pad.Some venues strictly inforce loose sheets only rule - and will not allow folders or even spiral bound pads.
Its a good idea to make some brief notes as to what you wish to research in Biro, as a heading for a few sheets. Once inside the record office, many will only allow the use of Pencils thus keeping the info that you started with obvious to you.
Take some spare sheets but dont go over the top- many venues will search you belongings on the way in and the way out, so dont embarrass yourself but trying to take in things that are not allowed.
If you wish to use camera - please ask- some venues allow the use of photography, others not. Some venues allow photographs of some documents but not others.Most do not allow the use of a flash, so eveluate the use of the photo without flash before you take it.
Mobile phones may need to be switched off, or perhaps silenced.If you should need to use you phone whilst in the Records office, please respect the needs of others and do so in the cafe or recetion area, not the search rooms.
Be comfortable. Some CRO's have air conditioning, esential for preservation of documents, so wear 'layers', comfortable shoesand clothing that is comfortable to reach, stretch and sit in. Wash your hands before you enter the search rooms if you can, and again if hands get sweaty- sweaty paws make for dirty docs! Pay a visit to the loo if you need to before you enter the search room- you may find half way thru a vital Fiche that the staff will require you to put the film away before leaving the room - very irritating!
Look around you at the other people - some will appear to know exactly what they are doing, and more than happy to help you wind a spool onto a fiche reeler. Some people will look as though they own the chair/the book/ the entire Records office ( woe betide you...!) But remember - they went 'for the first time' once upon a time too.
- enjoy
Hampshire
Sussex Street,
Winchester,
Hampshire
SO23 8TH
Fascinating town or, rather, city to wander round. Very close to the station. Free parking.
Garden with seats outside the building.
Quite a large venue with very helpful staff, and last time the archivist helped search for a registration.
Refreshment area on top floor, tables, chairs and vending machine
Winchester Records Office
You need your CARN card to get in and need to keep it with you in order that you can produce it when ording fiches etc
Only a couple of readers with printers.
Herefordshire
Herefordshire Archive Service
Harold Street,
Hereford.
Limited parking facilities for disabled drivers (3 spaces). 20 minutes walk from railway and bus stations.
CARN ticket required.Booking a seat is necessary.
Disabled toilet facilities and lift to first floor searchroom. Refreshments provided in the form of vending machine (small change needed as 50p and £1 coins not accepted). Various cafes nearby.
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire Archives & Local Studies,
Register Office Block,
County Hall,
Pegs Lane,
Hertford,
Herts
SG13 8EJ
It is not necessary to book unless you wish to consult original documents on Tuesday and Thursday evenings or on a Saturday morning.
Original documents cannot be produced between 12.15-2.00pm each day, or during the last hour before closing.
Huntingdonshire See Cambridgeshire
Kent
Centre for Kentish Studies
Sessions House,
County Hall,
Maidstone
Holds official records including those of the County Council, parishes, and boroughs, as well as documents deposited by individuals and businesses
Booking essential.
Disabled visitor access.
Laptops permitted.
Canterbury Cathedral Archives
The Precincts,
Canterbury,
Kent,
Holds the records of the Cathedral, Canterbury Diocese, Canterbury City Council and of individuals and businesses of the Canterbury area.
Car parking facilities close by.Park and ride schemes available.Few minutes walk to railway station.
Onsite parking for disabled visitors (advance notice required), lift available to first floor searchroom, TV scanner for visually impaired.
Wheelchair accessible toilets available in the Cathedran Precincts.
CARN ticket required.
East Kent Archives Centre:
Enterprise Zone,
Honeywood Road,
Whitfield,
Dover
Holds material for the Dover, Shepway and Thanet District Council areas, including records of local authorities, schools, hospitals, businesses, families and estates, as well as microfilm copies of local census returns. No parish records held.
Booking essential and Laptops are permitted
Disabled visitor access.
Lancashire
Lancashire Record Office,
Bow Lane,
Preston,
Lancashire.
PR1 2RE
Preston stationis 5 minutes' walk from the Office.There is a visitors' car park attached to the Office. If this is full, Preston City Centre has many public car parks
Buses stop by the railway station or at the Bus Station, some 15 minutes' walk from the Office
All public rooms, including the search room, are situated on the first floor and there is lift access for those who find stairs difficult to use.
Disabled parking is available onsite, and disabled toilets availible.
Lockers provided for all your bags and belongings, except the paper and pencils you require for working. These accept a £1 coin, which is refunded on emptying your locker.
Reader's Ticket required.You may bring a laptop, but its use is at your own risk. Self-scanning of documents is not permitted.
Public tearoom offers a drinks machine and space to eat a packed lunch. Several pubs, shops, and the range of eating options in Preston City Centre are 5-10 minutes' walk away
Leicestershire
The Record Office for Leicestershire,
Leicester & Rutland Long Street,
Wigston Magna,
Leicester,
LE18 2AH
Free visitors car park close to Records Office. One designated space for disabled visitor (please contact office prior to visit). Several public free/pay car parks close by. Bus service from town centre and railway station.
Toilet facilities. Disabled visitor access.
Drinks vending machine and rest area near reception where visitors may eat and drink.
Magnifying glasses may be borrowed from the searchroom counter.
All microfilm/microfiche readers in the searchroom have magnification controls - one special microfilm/microfiche reader has greater magnification to assist readers with visual impairment. Guide dogs admitted.
Lincolnshire
St Rumbold Street,
Lincoln,
Lincolnshire,
LN2 5AB
The entrance is on St. Rumbold Street. The entrance doors are automatic. There is a low-level intercom button and a higher level door bell for use out of hours or if assistance is required.
The Search Room is located on the ground floor. The doors to the search room are automatic, but released by staff.
Lockers provided
Toilets on the ground floor and Lecture Room (Ladies, gents and unisex toilet for visitors with mobility difficulties)
An automated car park barrier at the Rosemary Lane end is in operation. As you drive in, the barrier will lift automatically. When you leave, you will need to enter the exit code on a keypad near the wall to the right of the barrier. Obtain the exit code from staff before leaving the search room.
One space in the car park (near the automated barrier) is designated for an orange badge holder.
There is a seating area in the foyer where visitors are welcome to consume their own refreshments. Free chilled filtered water is provided. Hot drinks are also on sale. The city centre shopping area is only a few minutes walk away.
Booking of microfiche/microfilm viewers and study tables is essential. Advance requests for original documents are welcome.
Lap top computers: only a limited number of laptop computers can be plugged into the Search Room sockets. Readers are issued with circuit breakers.
Written enquiries are welcome as staff will be able to offer advice about relevant sources prior to visits.
LONDON (Middlesex)
Norfolk
The Archive Centre,
Martineau Lane,
Norwich,
NR1 2DQ
Free car parking is available at County Hall for Archive Centre users A pain to get to by public transport as its out of the city centre, though there is a bus service from the rail station that drops you on the roundabout nearby.
It closes at 12.00 on Saturday, but many of the parish records are available on microfilm/fiche at the Millennium Library in Norwich, which is open all day.
Staff efficient, but I didn't find them as friendly as other places.
Northamptonshire
Records Office,
Wootton Hall Park,
Northampton,
NN4 8BQ
Not easy to find, but once you have, parking is free and plentiful. Buses run regularly from the bus station in the centre of town. The nearest bus stop to the Record Office is just after the Queen Eleanor Cross on the London Rd. The walk from there will take around five minutes, but you should be aware that the route takes you over the dual carriageway (A45 - Mereway). This can be extremely busy at certain times of the day, and unfortunately there is no pelican/zebra crossing.Northampton station is approximately 3 miles from the Record Office
All on one level in a modern building. Not really walkable from town centre or the station.
Helpful staff.
No refreshment facilities.
Lockers for belonging (staff provide a token for use).
Reader card needed.
Northumberland
Northumberland Collections Service,
Queen Elizabeth II Country Park at Woodhorn,
Nr. Ashington,
Northumberland
Extensive onsite parking (£1 for Woodhorn members) Bus service from Ashington, closest railway station is Morpheth (6 miles from Woodhorn).
Prebooking not required.
Registration required – take formal identity.
Coin operated lockers (£1). Laptops facilities.
Onsite café.
Nottinghamshire
County House,
Castle Meadow Road,
Nottingham,
NG2 1AG
Parking is limited at the Archives office.The building is wheelchair accessible. Parking spaces can be reserved by phone.
Didn't not have to show ID, 5 mins walk from railway station, very helpful staff, clean loo but only tiny!
Notts archives has a drinks machine but not very pleasant.
Lockers free refuundable.
If you are disabled ring in advance and they will cone off a space for you in their small car park.
All on one floor and they supply plugs to allow you to plug in your laptop.
Male/female and disabled loo.
Located on the canalside so you can go the pubs nearby.
Parish records and BTs on fiche, no need to book a machine.
CARN card required if you want to look at original documents from the catalogue. Orders for such taken every hour on the quarter and take half an hour to appear Open from 9 am to 4.45 pm and 7pm on Tuesdays
They have one copier for the microfiches which is coin operated and takes various denominations. Some machines are rather old.
If you forget your sandwiches, you can pop to the station 5 minutes away where there is a WH Smiths or a coffee and sandwich stall
Working ambience comfortable.
Oxfordshire
St Luke's Church,
Temple Road,
Cowley,
Oxford,
OX4 2HT
A limited number of car and bicycle parking spaces are available on the premises, including two designated spaces for disabled parking. There is also ample parking free or at reasonable cost in the nearby Cowley Centre.
Buses to Cowley run frequently from the city centre (numbers 1, 5, 5A and 5B) and railway station (numbers 5, 5A and 5B). All stop opposite the Record Office. Ask for a ticket to the Original Swan.
County Archive Research Network (CARN) ticket required
Access is free and wheelchair access is available throughout the public areas (including the toilets).
There are no restrictions on who can use the Record Office though babies and young children tend to get bored.
Contact in advance of your visit to book a seat. A small charge is made for advance microfilm/fiche bookings – currently £1 for up to 3 hours and £2 for over 3 hours.
Teas, coffee, biscuits, crisps and muffins are on sale in the Coffee shop. You are also welcome to bring your own food.
Rutland
Please see Cambridgeshire/Northamptonshire
Shropshire
Shropshire Records and Research Centre ,
Castle Gates,
Shrewsbury
Shropshire
Prebooking advisable particularly if you wish to use fiche/film readers.
Shropshire Archives Reader’s ticket required – take official proof of identity and two passport sized photos.
Hot drinks vending machine, refreshment room available for eating and drinking. Local shops and cages close by.
Lockers available (returnable £1 coin). Toilet facilities.
Disabled visitors – two parking spaces available (need to prebook), all public areas accessible to wheelchair users.
Limited staff on duty on Tuesday evening and Saturdays.
Somerset
Somerset Record Office,
Obridge Road,
Taunton,
TA2 7PU
Not within easy walking distance of the station but there are plenty of taxis. There is a small car park.
Appointments are essential and you will need a Reader's Ticket so take proof of ID. CARN tickets are acceptable.
Quite small and cramped and on one level. Free lockers, basic drinks available (make it yourself and put money in the box). Cotton or latex gloves (sold at reception) are required if you view original documents.
Friendly and helpful staff who photocopy while you wait.
Staffordshire
Walsall Local History Centre
Essex Street,
Walsall,
WS2 7AS
Onsite car parking facilities. Few minutes walk from Walsall town centre.
CARN ticket required.
No appointment necessary unless you wish to use microfilm/fiche readers.
Staff knowledgeable and friendly– willing to provide guidance on an individual basis and help with the setting up of machines.
Suffolk
Suffolk Record Office Ipswich Branch
Gatacre Road
Ipswich
IP1 2LQ
Suffolk Record Office Bury St Edmunds Branch
77 Raingate Street
Bury St Edmunds
IP33 2AR
Suffolk Record Office Lowestoft Branch
Clapham Road
Lowestoft
NR32 1DR
Free parking.
No refreshment facilities as such, but a table and a few chairs with drinks machine.
Very helpful staff.
Surrey
Southwark Local History Centre
211 Borough High Street,
London
SE1 1JA
Limited on street parking. NCP car park in Snowsfields. Close to Borough tube station, 10 mins walk to London Bridge rail station.
Appointments not necessary, although advisable if you wish to use microfilm readers.
Disabled access and toilet facilities. No onsite refreshment facilities – plenty in surrounding area.
One FTF member has commented that they found the building very difficult to locate, rooms very cramped and although the staff tried to help, their knowledge was limited.
Sussex
East Sussex Records Office,
Lewes
Easiest to get there by train as nowhere to park nearby, be prepared for the steep walk into town.Always book a seat before you go
Be prepared for a long wait if you are ordering up items from the strong room The air conditioning keeps the room cool, so take a cardy/jacket even when it's hot outside
There's not too many places to eat nearby mainly pricey coffee bars, so take a packed lunch. There is no where to eat inside the record office itself, although there are benches available outside, which make a nice place to sit and eat when the weather's warm & dry
Toilets are free as well as the lockers.
Lewes is a historic town - if you have time visit the castle and if you have time for shopping, take a look at the second hand book shops
West Sussex Records Office
The collections include records of local government from the sixteenth century, the Diocese of Chichester and its parishes and those of businesses, families, estates, societies and schools. Also records of West Sussex hospitals, the West Sussex Constabulary and The Royal Sussex Regiment.
Full access for disabled visitors. Toilet facilities, lockers available, refreshment area.
Warwickshire
Warwickshire County Record Office
Priory Park,
Cape Road,
Warwick
CV34 4JS
Limited on site car parking with dropping off zone and disabled spaces.
Telephone in advance for reservation of disabled parking space.Wheelchair access.
Pay and display car parking available near by.
No appointment necessary unless you wish to use the GRO indexes.
CARN ticket required. Free admission.
Volunteers available to provide detailed information on sources and equipment in searchroom.
Westmoreland (Westmoreland is served by the Cumbria Archive Services, Kendal being the principal office)
Kendal Records Office
County Offices,
Strickland Gate,
Kendal,
Cumbria.
Limited car parking available, permits available from Reception. Kendal town centre 5 minutes walk. Railway station 2 miles from Records Officfe, taxi/buses available.
Wiltshire
Wiltshire and Swindon Record Office
Bythesea Road,
Trowbridge,
Wiltshire
CARN ticket required.
Public areas comprise of three search rooms and a catalogue room where documents may be consulted and staff available to advise.
Prebooking advisable.
Limited parking spaces available at County Hall, two multi-storey car parks nearby.
Toilet and lift facilities. Access for disabled visitors.
Lockers available for bags and personal belongings.
Refreshment area with drinks machine.
Documents are not produced from the strong rooms between 12.20 . 1.30 hrs, and after 16.30 hrs (19.15 hrs on Wednesday evening)
Please note: The office will be closed on 17th April 2007 in preparation for the transfer of the archives to the new Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre in Cocklebury Road, Chippenham. It is hoped that the new Centre will be open to the publick on 31st October 2007.
There will however, be a reduced service for users of microfiche readers at Trowbridge Reference Library, and although staff will continue to respond to email/postal/telephone queries, no original records will be produced during this period.
Worcestershire
The Worcestershire Record Office has two public branches Enquiries concerning the use of original documents should be referred to the County Hall Branch.
Family history enquiries should be referred to the History Centre.
Record Office,
County Hall,
Spetchley Road,
Worcester,
WR5 2NP
Worcestershire Library & History Centre
Trinity Street,
Worcester,
WR1 2PW
Book to use the facilities at either branch.Plenty of search room assitants to aid in your searching.
The most appropriate branch for family historians to visit is the History Centre.
There is no car park at the History Centre
Fully accessible to wheelchair users and includes disabled toilet facilities.
There is a rest area with hot and cold drinks available.
Bags in the lockers provided.
Copying facilities are available.
The History Centre is also a distribution centre for records compiled by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
Yorkshire
North Yorkshire County Council: Local studies
Very easy to find but limited parking spaces.
Very helpful staff.
Free loos. Small coffee room for patrons usage and only a small donation requested.
Usual restrictions regarding paper, pencils etc and change needed for the print offs.
The East Yorkshire CRO has just moved to the new Treasure House
